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The 59-year-old will leave Montpellier at the end of the season and discussed his next move with his compatriot after the Champions League meeting between his side and the Gunners.

“I’ve started to learn English," Girard told The DailyTelegraph.

"I’ve talked to Arsene. I’ve known Arsene since he was at Strasbourg. We played in the Champions League this season. They won twice but we made the games difficult for them.

"After our game at Arsenal, Arsene invited me for a drink afterwards. In France that doesn’t really happen. Arsene talked to me about the pressure in England. You can see the pressure in his face. But pressure is oxygen for me. I’d go crazy without football.”

Girard stunned the rest of France by guiding la Paillade to their first Ligue 1 title last season and is confident he can continue to work miracles with little money at his disposal.

He added: “I can win with small budgets. The last season at Montpellier we had a €40 million budget. Paris [Saint-Germain] had €250 million. Paris are so rich they are out on their own. We created a shock last season."

The former France Under-21 boss then praised the English style of football and noted the impact made by David Beckham and Joey Barton in France.

"I think David Beckham represents English football. Beckham’s not the player he was but he can play well for Paris. His life outside football must be crazy. I like that top players like Beckham have so many things in their life but are still good on the pitch," he continued.

“I admire the spirit and strength of the English players. Joey Barton has made quite a good impression in France: he plays it simple, he’s very competitive.